Interactive Notebooks and English Language Learners

How to Scaffold Content for Academic Success

Discover how interactive notebooks are ideally suited to the needs of English learners. As a place to both record their learning and develop their proficiency with academic English, notebooks provide the space for ELLs to actively engage in their own learning.

The Interactive Notebook works so well with English learners because it scaffolds content and gives students the space to develop school-based ways of thinking—to go from English language learners to academic language learners. With Interactive Notebooks and English Language Learners,you’ll see how the Notebook becomes a classroom text for rigorous instruction as you use it to:

scaffold content so English learners can develop and access background knowledge more readily

increase English learners’ facility with academic language

engage all students actively and improve their note-taking and retention abilities

Interactive Notebooks and English Language Learners gives you straightforward instructions for launching the Notebook. You’ll find plenty of student examples as well as nitty-gritty teaching advice such as suggestions for instructional sequencing and planning. In short, everything you need to get going and be successful in supporting English learners’ acquisition of academic English.

Why are Interactive Notebooks becoming so popular? Because they work. Read Interactive Notebooks and English Language Learners and see how to make them work for you and your English learners.